Words to Speak
by Loving Neko
Summary: Sesshoumaru and his brother just moved to a new school. No humans know about demons. When he falls in love with a human, Koneko, he is perplexed. But he's not the only one. Koneko has a secret; when she looks at someone, even animals, she learns all the languages they know. And Sesshoumaru has a new one… A type of dog language? But these are not the only secrets the two have.
1. Standing Up

Standing Up

*Unfortunately, I do not own Inuyasha and Company. Rumiko Takahashi does. (Except Koneko, she's mine.)

* * *

Koneko was bored in class. She really wasn't interested in Science. When she grew up, she wouldn't need it. Once again, her mind wandered to what she would do. Her mom could get her a part in a play. Yuuko always had an influence in the theater as she would get leads very often. It would be simple for her to get a part for Koneko. But there was another option. She would be an awesome translator. Her gift helped with that. Whenever she looks at someone, she learns all the languages they know. Koneko wasn't sure if anyone else knew about this gift but her mom. When she was really young, she remembered her mom telling her to keep something a secret. There is nothing else to hide so it had to be this. Right?

Her head snapped up when the door opened. A tall, mature-looking young man with shocking white hair and gold eyes entered the room with a handful of books. As soon as her eyes landed on him, a familiar feeling came over her. Koneko frowned at her desk; she thought that by now she wouldn't go through this again. She had gotten all the languages that she could get her hands on, even most of the animal ones! But this one, it was very similar to dog. But he's human, how could he know dog? There were other people in the school that knew animal languages. That is the most confusing part of her gift.

* * *

Sesshoumaru quickly scanned the room before subtly sniffing. As an Inu demon, he could tell by that sniff that: there were five demons (two girls, three boys) and 27 humans (14 girls, 13 boys) in the class, and of those 32, most of the girls and (to his horror) one boy became aroused upon his entrance. The teacher nodded at him and turned to the class, "This is our new student, Sesshoumaru Taisho. Let's go around and introduce ourselves."

He cursed his mother silently for making him go here as he had to watch one boy stand up while trying to conceal the bulge in his pants. Just because he looked the right age, doesn't mean he should go to school. He already knew this stuff due to his many years of life. Sesshoumaru was aware that this was his mother's idea for him to find a girl. As he gazed disdainfully at the eager girls who wanted to get at him, he decided it would be a failed attempt. He definitely didn't want a girl that threw herself at him.

What caught his eye was one girl who didn't even look at him. She was just staring at her desk like she was avoiding eye contact. When it came to her turn to state her name, she just sat there. "Miss Niseika!" the teacher yelled. The girl jumped and then blushed when she realized it was her turn. "Koneko," she said, just loud enough that the humans could hear.

Sesshoumaru was slightly vexed when she went back to ignoring him. Immediately, he scolded himself. 'You just thought a moment ago that you didn't want a girl who was obsessed with you. Now here is one that obviously isn't, and you think she isn't paying enough attention to you!'

When everyone was done introducing themselves (some more eager than others), the teacher assigned him the only empty seat, the one next to the girl Koneko. As he sat, he heard her huff in frustration. She wasn't avoiding eye contact anymore at least. When Sesshoumaru looked over, she was smiling. "Nice to meet you," she whispered. "Sorry about that. I was a little distracted." He was confused now. Distracted by what? He knew he sometimes had an effect on people, but she didn't seem affected. What is with this girl?

* * *

Koneko had been concentrating so hard on the new language that she didn't notice it was her turn. She was completely embarrassed. When he sat down next to her, she was disappointed that she lost concentration in exploring the language. Taking a moment, she finally looked at her new table partner. When she saw how cute he was, she understood the envious looks she was getting. With white hair and golden eyes, it was hard not to think so.

"So," she continued after class. She had offered to show him around school as he was new. "Is that natural?" Koneko asked while gesturing to his hair and eyes. When they turned the corner, something caught her eye. "I'm guessing that's your brother," she said pointing to a white-haired kid in the center of a crowd. Taking in what was happening, she got mad. The people were the bullies in the school, Naraku and his friends. They were causing him to trip and drop his stuff.

Koneko marched over to them with Sesshoumaru following. He wanted to help his brother, who he had gotten close with during the last hundred years, but was curious to what she would do. He could tell Inuyasha was getting stressed. When he does, he tends to reveal his ears. If her idea didn't work, he would have to step in.

"Naraku!" she yelled. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

Naraku smiled at the ignorant girl. She didn't know he was a half-demon and had to be treated this way. Of course, he was a half-demon too, but his friends didn't need to know that. This particular girl he had tried to go out with, but she denied him. She was the _only_ person to deny him, which is why he liked her. His friends had made comments about his interest, but they were easily put back in their place. "Koneko," he said. "Are you here to take me up on my offer?"

"Absolutely not!" she fumed. "I wouldn't go out with a jerk like you! Now, why are you bullying him?"

He smirked, "Because he is new and has to learn. I know you find me irresistible, just admit it."

Her growl was impressive to the demons as she went to punch him. She yelped when Naraku easily grabbed her fist and spun her around so her back was to his chest. He put his lips to her ear and whispered, "There now. Isn't this nice? Told you she liked me," he continued louder.

"You bastard, let me go!"

"Not just yet," he teased. "Say you'll go out with me and I will."

"Never!" Koneko hissed and she struggled in his grasp.

"Enough of this," Sesshoumaru said as he stepped forward. "Let go of her."

Naraku was furious when he saw it was a demon who stepped up. From the looks of it, he was related to the half-demon they had been tormenting. "What do you want, old-timer?" he asked on account of his appearance and actual age. He could tell this was an old demon who shouldn't be in school at this point.

Sesshoumaru gazed at him coldly as he spoke, "You may have deceived your friends, but you can't fool me."

Naraku's eyes widened as he released Koneko and backed away. He and his friends left the half-demon alone and went to look for other victims. Sesshoumaru and Koneko helped pick up Inuyasha's books before she asked, "What was it you threatened him with?"

Instead of making something up, Sesshoumaru smirked and said, "I have no idea."

Koneko laughed, "I think you'll really like my friends."

* * *

During lunch, she introduced the two Inu to her friends. "Guys, this is Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha. They're new here. Boys, this is Sango, Miroku, Shippo, Kouga, Ayame, and Kagome. I think we'll get along just fine."

And she was right. After hearing the story of what happened, they were immediately accepted into the group.

"It's awesome that someone finally stood up to him," Sango exclaimed.

"What about Koneko?" Inuyasha asked, confused.

Koneko rolled her eyes. "He's been desperate to go out with me. That's an unfair advantage."

"You have to admit," Kagome pointed out, "sometimes it's a good thing."

"Ugh, yes," Koneko agreed. "But most times the bad outweighs the good."

As the school year continued, they all became good friends. Sesshoumaru was surprised at how much he enjoyed it despite being hundreds of years too old. 'If this keeps up,' he thought, smirking at a joke someone told, 'I might actually have to thank mother.' Then he caught Naraku glaring at him from the corner of his eye. 'Or maybe not.'

Slowly, but steadily, Sesshoumaru fell for Koneko...


	2. Passing Notes

Passing Notes

*Unfortunately, I do not own Inuyasha and Company. Rumiko Takahashi does. (Except Koneko, she's mine.)

* * *

Koneko came to the lunch table holding a note and a rose along with her lunch. When she sat down, her friends noticed. "What's that, Koneko?" Shippo asked with a mouth full of food.

"I told you about my secret admirer, right?" She eagerly continued, "Well he left another note again and this time a rose too!"

"Who do you think he is?" Ayame asked excitedly.

"Well, from the sound of his notes, I know him. But otherwise I have no idea who he is."

"Or she," added Sango.

Koneko rolled her eyes, "Sango, I seriously doubt it's a girl as _he_ occasionally refers to _him_self as a boy.

"You don't think it's Naraku, do you?" Kagome asked, glancing at the person in question from across the room.

"No way!" Koneko snorted. "My secret admirer is so sweet in his notes. Besides, Naraku isn't exactly secret in his admiration."

"Well," Miroku said, "you must have _some_ idea."

As they continued to chat, Sesshoumaru was relieved that she didn't know who it was. If she did, he worried what that would do to their friendship. He had left the notes and the rose. He couldn't think of any other way to express his feelings. He had no idea what caused him to fall for a human. Koneko was just perfect in his eyes: sweet and kind, but with a fiery side.

"Oh yeah!" exclaimed Koneko suddenly, frightening her friends. "My mom is staring in a new play and I am allowed to bring a friend."

"Who are you planning on taking?" Shippo asked.

"Well…" she hesitated. "How do I put it? Most of you would fall asleep in the middle of it."

"We would not!" argued Inuyasha.

Koneko rolled her eyes at him, "Dude, this isn't like Mary Poppins or something. And _you_ could even fall asleep with one of those. This is more like Shakespeare. You would die if you had to sit through it."

"So," Kouga spoke up as he was getting annoyed with this topic, "who are you taking?"

"Sesshoumaru," she said while turning to him. "Would you like to go?"

He was very happy with her choice but couldn't stop an eyebrow from rising. "Why me?" he asked.

"Because you are the only one here who," she turned up her nose and spoke in an accent, "appreciates the theater!" She broke into a giggling fit before controlling herself. "So, are you in?"

"Sure," he answered. "What's it about?"

"Oh, it's this beautiful recreation of an old Japanese story. There are many different versions of it, but the writers did an amazing job. Basically, it's about this demon lord who falls in love with a human. But he already has a wife and son. Some things happen then and the woman ends up pregnant with a half-demon." Koneko didn't notice when Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha tensed. The other demons did, but didn't say anything. Sesshoumaru was worried that his name was mentioned in the story. "So the child was born and everyone hates them. I would tell you more but that would ruin the story for you." She looked so excited that Sesshoumaru couldn't help but smile.

"Sounds like fun."

"Awesome! I'll tell her to get two tickets then." She went back to talking again. When the bell rang, Kouga pulled Sesshoumaru to the side with a questioning look.

"What was that all about?" he asked.

Sesshoumaru sighed, "That story she was talking about. It's about my brother and me."

The wolf demon's eyes widened. "Are you serious? I would hear that story from my parents all the time. And they heard it from their parents. I mean, I knew you guys were old but not _that_ old." He gave Sesshoumaru another quizzical look, "If you are that old, why are you in school?"

Sesshoumaru rolled his eyes, "Long story, short: it was my mother's idea." He wacked Kouga in the back of the head when he started snickering. "Don't tell anyone," he said before walking away to his locker.

* * *

Naraku had overheard Koneko's conversation. He scowled when he heard of a secret admirer. No one was allowed to have his Koneko. He had claimed the right to date her first. If anyone challenged that right, they should look him the eye and tell him so. That way Naraku could beat him senseless. Just because Koneko said no the first couple times doesn't mean he lost the right. She was just in denial of her attraction. She would come to her senses.

He had been restricted in approaching her with the arrival of the white-haired demon. With that threat looming over his head, there wasn't much he could do to get her attention. Whenever he attempted to talk to her, the demon would glare at him. It was a 'don't-even-try' look.

Another thing that interested him was the Inus' reaction to an old legend. It was a story passed down by demon families for years. It got picked up by humans only recently. He hung back to hear the two demon's discussion. He smirked at the new knowledge; he could definitely use this to his favor. Yes, he was starting to form a plan…

* * *

The next day when Koneko opened her locker, there was another note. This time it was a small poem that fit her perfectly. She smiled and put it in her pocket. Koneko then grabbed her books and went to her first class.

When she returned to her locker at the end of the day, she couldn't help but think about him. She was about to leave when she got an idea. Quickly grabbing a sticky note, she wrote, "Who are you?" She hoped he answered but didn't expect him to reveal his name yet. More likely a clue. She was worried she would scare him away, but she needed to know. This couldn't last forever. Quickly deciding, she followed the question with, "I love your notes and the rose." She then stuck it in the place he leaves his notes and closed her locker. Koneko hesitated before locking it, how would he get in? Notes could be slipped through, but the rose? She shrugged and walked away. 'I'll just ask him when I meet him.'

* * *

Sesshoumaru easily got into the building after the janitors had left. Finding her locker, he turned the dial with the right combo. The first time he did this, he had used his demon hearing to find where in caught. By now he just had it memorized.

He was about to place the note when he noticed the sticky note. He read it with worry, only to be relieved at what it said. He had worried it was going to ask him to stop. Considering how to answer her question, he borrowed one of her pencils. He wrote at the bottom of his page, "Someone who saw your beauty and kindness from afar. Or closer than you may think." Satisfied, he closed the locker. He knew she wouldn't be, but that could wait until she wrote again.

As he slipped away, he once again considered how he was going to tell her. Sesshoumaru wanted her to love _him_ back. Not the mysterious writer. 'Perhaps things will work out for themselves,' he hoped.

He doubted it. In the past, fate had always been against him and his family. You only need to hear the legend to know that.

* * *

*All names I made up are explained in another story I wrote that will come out after I get past a certain point in this one. I don't want to spoil anything!


	3. The Legend

The Legend

*Unfortunately, I do not own Inuyasha and Company. Rumiko Takahashi does. (Except Koneko, she's mine.)

* * *

500 years into the past, everything was different. Sesshoumaru's father, Takehiko, was ruler of the western lands and it was a peaceful time. He, the Inu no Taisho, had a wife and son with a bright future. He taught his son to respect those under him and he soon became a prince the kingdom was proud of. There were humans and demons in the land, but they lived in peace. It was looked down upon for demons and humans to mate and produce child, but for the most part they were left alone.

Takehiko often enjoyed walking around his kingdom. He was greeted with warm smiles as he passed his subjects. That day, it was extremely hot. He strolled down to a river for it was cooler there. After a bit, he found a tree to lie against. Takehiko started to nap when he heard a splash. He opened his eyes to see a woman struggling to stay afloat. Immediately getting up, he rushed over and managed to drag her out. He sat near her while waiting for her to catch her breath. She coughed once more before saying, "Thank you." She looked up and froze. "I… uh… Your majesty!"

Takehiko smiled. "There is no need to fear. I am happy to help a beautiful woman in distress." She blushed at his compliment and looked away. She _was_ beautiful, even if wet. Her hair was raven black and shimmered in the sunlight. "May I ask for your name?"

"I'm Izayoi," she murmured, glancing at him with innocent brown eyes.

He smiled at her, "Well, I guess I don't need to introduce myself since you obviously know who I am."

She nodded shyly before saying, "I must go, your majesty. I-"

"There is no need for that," he cut her off. "Please, call me Takehiko."

Izayoi's heart was thrilled at this but her mind disapproved. 'He's mated!' she thought. Trying to hold back both feelings, she continued, "I was gathering water for a meal when I fell."

"Shall we meet again?" Takehiko asked as she stood.

Once again she blushed and whispered, "Perhaps." With that she left, leaving the lord with thoughts of the beautiful woman he had met. He attempted to push her from his mind, it would not be wise to be caught daydreaming about her. With that, he stood and traveled back to his castle.

* * *

Takehiko couldn't stop thinking about Izayoi regardless of what he did. She was lodged firmly in his mind. He would often return to that river in hopes to see her again but failed to do so. His family started to notice his absent-mindedness. They started to worry that his many years of life was catching up to him.

The Inu no Taisho, on the other hand, had felt young when around the raven-haired beauty. When she never showed up at the river where they met, he searched for her. A year had passed and he all but gave up on her when they ran into each other. Literally.

He had gotten back into the habit of walking throughout his kingdom. It was a lovely day and Takehiko was taking advantage of it. He paused underneath a tree to scan the area. The villagers were hard at work, mainly to impress him as he watched. Takehiko was about to move on when someone bumped into him from behind.

"Oh dear!" cried a familiar voice. "I am so very sorry." Takehiko's heart leapt in his chest at the sound of her voice. He turned around to see Izayoi picking up herbs she had dropped.

He smirked. "We must stop meeting like this," he said, trying not to laugh.

She froze when he started to speak and looked up at him in shock. "Your majesty!" she exclaimed.

He shook his head, "We've been over this. You may call me Takehiko."

Izayoi looked at the ground, "Sir, you have a mate."

He crouched down next to her and whispered, "I know I shouldn't but I feel happier here with you than I do with her."

She had to fight down her excitement at his words and struggled to speak. "It's not right," she whispered back. "Besides, we would get caught."

"Not," he answered and gently grabbed her chin to look into her eyes, "if this is our secret." She smiled and whispered, "Okay."

* * *

The months passed and the couple would secretly meet every so often. It didn't take long for both to fall in love. At first it all worked out. Takehiko's family stopped worrying about him as he could concentrate better on ruling and he was happier overall. Despite loving Izayoi, he still loved his mate, Satomi and of course his son.

Izayoi lived an easier life as Takehiko would give her gifts even though she told him not to. Without revealing where she got them, she got enough money to keep her parents in a house until they died of old age. She had a house for herself and lived without worry.

Then disaster struck. Izayoi was pregnant. They knew this would reveal their secret. There were other Inu demons but his line was the only white-haired ones around. If anyone saw the Inu half-demon, they would know it had to be royalty. No one would think it was from the serious Sesshoumaru. That left one.

Izayoi stared at Takehiko with scared eyes when she told him. One way or another, their secret was out.

* * *

A few more months passed and the child was born. At that time, everyone knew. They were first horrified that their leader would have an affair. Then they turned angry. Soon they were marching towards the castle to demand the life of the once Inu no Taisho and the woman he cheated with.

Sesshoumaru glanced out the window to see swarms of subjects approaching in anger. Looking forward, he saw all those involved in the scandal: his mother, his father, and the woman, Izayoi holding the newborn half-demon. He looked at his father in sadness as he spoke, "We will not be able to protect you." Izayoi's eyes filled with tears at these words and the former Inu no Taisho slouched in defeat.

"So this is it?" he asked. "We go out and meet our deaths?" Sesshoumaru couldn't look him in the eye as he nodded. Takehiko placed a hand on Izayoi's shoulder. "I'm sorry." He looked at his mate and first son. "I am sorry to all of you. All of this is my fault." He nodded towards the crying woman, "Come, let us delay no longer." They turned towards the door that led to the angry mob asking for blood.

"Wait!" cried out Satomi. The two condemned turned and looked at her in shock. She walked towards Izayoi and stood in front of her. "The child is innocent," she said softly.

Izayoi smiled and handed the child to her. "Thank you. His name is Inuyasha." With that, she and Takehiko walked out the doors to be killed.

Satomi raised Inuyasha as her own and they all lived through the centuries. Soon after the scandal, humans decided that all demons were evil and traitorous and started to hunt them down. Despite being weaker, there were hundreds of humans per demon. Eventually, those who survived went into hiding, causing demons to fade into legend.

The story of the scandal was passed down through demon families. Like all stories told this way, people created their own versions. Demons who heard this story decided that it showed that half-demons were filth to be despised. What started out as a love affair went to change the entire world.

Sesshoumaru would often look back on this time of his life and wish it were different. Although he cared for his brother, he wished life was as it was back then. 'Life was cruel to me once, having my father cheat then taking him away,' he would think. 'What's to say it wouldn't be again?'

* * *

*Takehiko means hero prince, Satomi means beautiful and wise


	4. Threats

Threats

*Unfortunately, I do not own Inuyasha and Company. Rumiko Takahashi does. (Except Koneko, she's mine.)

* * *

Koneko rushed to her locker as the bell rang. She had to see if he wrote back. The suspense was killing her as she had to enter the combination three times before finally getting it right. She planned on ripping the door open to see what her secret admirer had said, but hesitated. What if she had scared him off? What if she opened her locker to see everything as she left it the day before?

Deciding to get it over with, Koneko slowly grabbed the handle and pulled to see a note that wasn't there before. Sighing with relief, she grabbed the paper and read it. After smiling at the note, she noticed a pencil written portion at the bottom. Quickly scanning it, she was disappointed with his answer. It was very sweet, but frustrating at the same time. Yes, she hadn't expected him to just write his name, but she had hoped for more than that!

Throughout the day, she pondered on how she was going to find out the identity of the mystery writer. It seemed to her that he was a little shy and just needed a small push. By the time lunch came around, she still had no idea.

As Koneko went to sit at her friends' usual table, she noticed Naraku was giving her a strange look. Catching her eye, he smirked at her, sending a chill down her spine. What did he have planned today?

Sitting down, she launched a conversation with her friends in an effort to forget Naraku. They soon picked up their favorite topic of late: her secret admirer.

"So…" Kagome started once she arrived soon after Koneko. "Anything today?"

Koneko smiled at her. "Yes, the usual note. Also I wrote to him last night." She added casually, knowing how they would react.

"WHAT!" exclaimed Ayame. "What did you say? What did he say? Do you know who he is now?" She continued to ask question before Koneko had to cut her off.

"Ayame, if you stopped speaking for one moment, I could answer you!" she almost yelled. Ayame immediately stopped talking and looked at her with expectant eyes. Koneko giggled at the look on her face before explaining what they wrote. Once she finished, she looked around to see if any of her friends had questions. Only then did she notice, "Where's Sesshoumaru?"

* * *

The demon in question had been held up by a group of girls asking him to the girl's-choice dance almost two months away (they were that eager). They had all approached at the same time and had apparently not known the others were there to do the same thing. There was soon a fight between them that had finally ended when Sesshoumaru managed to get around them and say no while walking away.

He sighed in relief when he turned the corner only to scowl at the sight in front of him. Naraku had left the cafeteria once it was apparent that Sesshoumaru was late. He stood nearby while his friends stood in a line blocking the exit outside of hearing range. Sesshoumaru growled at him, "What do you want, _half_-demon?"

Naraku winced at the term and glanced back to double-check his friends couldn't hear. Once he was sure, he resumed his smirk. "I wish you wouldn't use that term," he dramatically sighed.

Sesshoumaru raised an eyebrow. "It is your title, is it not?" he asked sarcastically.

Naraku sighed again, "Yes but I would have thought that you wouldn't throw it around as much considering your brother is one." He smiled widely. "I find it interesting that I can hide it better than he can. One would think he would be more powerful considering his age and being of royalty." Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes threateningly. "Oh! Did I hit a nerve? No, I remember! Let me correct myself; half royalty, half commoner."

"Damn wolf."

"Oh, you don't need to worry about that," Naraku said. "He didn't reveal your little secret."

Sesshoumaru snarled, "Do you intend to blackmail me? I do not care who you would tell."

Naraku chuckled, "Oh, I doubt that. The demons at school, for a start. Female demons already find you attractive; just imagine if they knew you were of royalty! Then the male demons, they would feel threatened by you if you started to 'steal' their girlfriends. Then of course I know some older demons who still hold a grudge against your family."

The demon sighed in defeat. "Fine, what is it you want?" Sesshoumaru growled.

Naraku grinned with delight, "Not much, simply stop holding my secret over my head." He turned and started to walk away. "Consider us even now."

Sesshoumaru glared at the half-demon as he walked back into the cafeteria. He fumed for a few seconds before calming down enough to go in too. He immediately noticed Naraku approaching his friends as he grabbed his lunch and followed.

* * *

Koneko scowled when Naraku came up to her and started rudely flirting. She was relieved when Sesshoumaru came into her sight, but noticed the fowl look he had. She knew he wouldn't be able to help. Sesshoumaru sat in the empty seat next to Koneko and shot a look at Naraku. He only smirked in response.

Finally Koneko couldn't ignore him anymore. Turning her best evil look at him, she growled impressively, "Go away, Naraku!"

He simply smiled at her, "Come now, Koneko. Surely we can all act like adults here? It's childish to pretend not to like me. It can't be healthy to hold in those kinds of feelings. It's obvious."

Koneko glared at him. "Do you not understand English or something? I said no, nyet, bù, iie! Get it yet?"

Amusingly, Naraku's eyelid twitched. "No need to show off. I already know you don't accept it yet."

Everyone was guessing she would explode again, but instead she smiled. "Besides," she smirked, causing Naraku to be wary of her tactics, "I already have a secret admirer. He is sweeter than you."

Now it was the half-demons turn to growl. "The coward who courts you in such a way," he ranted foolishly, "is too afraid to challenge my claim on you face to face." He smirked down at her only to catch her friends' almost frightened looks. He hadn't realized what he had said yet.

"What," Koneko asked coldly, causing a chill to go down his spine, "did you say just now?"

Naraku gulped, "Umm, he's too afraid to challenge my claim-"

"That," she interrupted, "is what I thought you said." She looked him in the eye furiously. "I am not something you 'claim' Naraku. I am a human being who has rights, not some toy to fight over." She stood and, despite being the same height as him, caused Naraku to shrink back in fright. She jabbed a finger at his chest and continued, "You are a jerk that I would never consider going out with so you might as well leave and take your 'claim' with you!" With that she gave a slight push that was enough to trip him backwards into milk someone spilled. He disappeared for the rest of the day.

After he left, there was silence in the cafeteria that caused Koneko to look up and realize that the entire school had been watching. She blushed when they started to cheer because he had bullied everyone. Naraku's 'friends' tried to disappear into the crowd and claim not to have been friends with the bully. No one believed them, of course.

Koneko's friends congratulated her as she sat down and ducked to avoid the attention. Shippo piped up over the still clapping school, "Good job! I bet he won't be bullying anyone anytime soon!"

Sesshoumaru smirked at the blushing girl while everyone got back to their conversations. Yes, as if he needed another reason to love this girl more, he had just received one. Now to make her love him back.

* * *

*Koneko was yelling 'no' in different languages at one point. Nyet is Russian, bù is Chinese, and iie is Japanese. If there are mistakes, feel free to tell me. After all, I only know English. :P Thanks!


	5. Lovely Ideas

Lovely Ideas

*Unfortunately, I do not own Inuyasha and Company. Rumiko Takahashi does. (Except Koneko, she's mine.)

* * *

Koneko didn't care that she wasn't the one driving; she was too excited to care. The night had come. The play was tonight and Sesshoumaru had insisted on picking her up. Her mom had left earlier to prepare. As they drove, she chatted about the play.

"Since there are many different versions of the legend, the writers chose the most popular one. Did you know in all the versions, they only agreed on one thing? The name of the woman who the lord had the affair with. Her name is Izayoi. That's who my mom is playing."

Sesshoumaru smiled while keeping his eyes on the road. Surely if his or Inuyasha's name was in it, she would have mentioned something. Funny that over the years, _her_ name was the one that lasted the test of time.

"Does she do many plays?" he asked, attempting to divert her attention. It worked. She immediately dove into that topic without hesitation. He was surprised at how successful her mom was without moving up. When Koneko seemed to run out of things to say about her mom, he tried a new topic, "What does your dad do?"

When silence reigned for a few moments, Sesshoumaru stole a quick glance at her. She just stared ahead frowning. "Koneko?"

She jumped, startled out of her thoughts and glanced at him. "Sorry," she mumbled, "I spaced out."

Sesshoumaru was concerned about this turn of events and asked, "Are you ok?"

She sighed and Sesshoumaru spotted a tear trailing down her cheek. "Yes, it's just… My father died when I was ten. It- it hit me and my mother pretty hard."

Without taking his eyes off the road, Sesshoumaru reached over and squeezed her hand. "I'm sorry," he whispered. "My father died too, a long time ago. I still miss him some days."

She chuckled dryly, "That's us: a pair of fatherless teens moping about things that happened years ago." She shook her head and sighed. "I'm sorry," she continued. "That was rude of me. Let's just change the subject, shall we?"

Sesshoumaru only half-listened as Koneko started talking again. It had been a long time since he had thought of his father. Even then he still felt the guilt of not being able to do anything to help. He quickly shook it off before diving back into the conversation.

Soon they were pulling into the theater. The parking lot was full and it took a while to find a place to park. "I'm sure you're going to love it!" Koneko exclaimed, having easily gotten out of her dark mood. They finally found a spot to park and headed in. Glancing at her phone, she sighed, "Damn, we don't have much time before it starts. Come on!" Grabbing his hand, she led him through the maze of people. It didn't take long to reach their seats in the medium-sized theater.

Koneko was very excited as they sat down; she had never brought one of her friends to her mom's plays. She felt as if she was sharing something she had never shown before. But instead of being nervous, she was happy that Sesshoumaru was the one to see it. She pondered what that meant for a moment. She knew he was a good friend, but was that really all there was to it? She wasn't blind; Koneko knew how good looking he was and how nice he was. True, that last part was hard to see with his silence and short answers, but she felt she had seen more than others what was behind the mask. She cared for him and he for her, yes.

But as friends? Or something more?

She stole a quick glance at the white-haired man as an idea struck her. She toyed with it for a moment as the lights started to dim. Could it be possible…?

Sesshoumaru and Koneko watched silently as the play started. He had to admit: it was a good production if not entirely accurate. He winced as the character that was supposed to be him walked on with a snobbish and big-headed attitude. He was not like that! It was immediately obvious when Izayoi walked on. Beside him, Koneko sat up a little straighter and whispered, "That's her."

Sesshoumaru studied the woman who had entered the stage. Thanks to his enhanced sight, he could see her fairly well. She looked a lot like her daughter: with hair color (brown) and many facial features being the same. Their eyes were different, however, with Koneko's being blue and her mom's being brown. Even while in character as a peasant woman, she carried herself with a sense of pride, just as Izayoi had. She had been a very good choice for this role.

He leaned over to ask Koneko, "What's her name?"

She breathed back, barely audible, as she watched the play, "Yuuko."

Sesshoumaru watched as Yuuko played her part perfectly. Had he not known what Izayoi looked like back then, he would have sworn this woman was telling the truth the entire time.

When Yuuko walked on stage again with the man playing his father, Koneko leaned forward in her seat. Sesshoumaru glanced at her; throughout the performance, she had been mouthing along with most of the parts. Now he could hear her whispering the along. As the play continued, it became obvious this was a love scene. Many couples around them curled up together or kissed.

He glanced down at his hands and then at the girl next to him. Could he do this? Did he have the courage? He had once faced an entire army on his own, but would gladly do that again instead of this. This was one of the most obvious ways to let her know he liked her, but how would she react? Would she think him arrogant like Naraku for taking this risk?

He mentally scolded himself, 'You are over 500 years old. Get a grip!' Then, steeling his will and taking a large breath, he reached forward and grabbed her hand.

Koneko jumped slightly as his hand took hers. She had been so wrapped up in the performance that she had almost forgotten he was there. Now that she remembered, she was shocked she hadn't noticed him. She was suddenly made hyper-aware of his body being so close to hers. She felt the warmth from where their legs were touching and also their arms. Koneko looked down at his hand holding hers and leaned back to look at his face. Even in the poor lighting, she could see that he was nervous as he peeked back at her. Her mind started working overtime trying to figure out what this meant.

Sesshoumaru stared at their hands, avoiding looking into Koneko's eyes. She hadn't pulled her hand away, so that was a good sign, right? Finally he risked a glance up. She was staring at him while blushing. At first she looked a little shocked, but then a small smile appeared. He decided to push his luck a bit to see how she reacted. Raising his other hand, Sesshoumaru brushed a strand of hair away from her face. This caused it to turn a darker shade of red.

Koneko's mind started freaking out over that one little action. 'Is he about to do what I think he's about to do? Please…'

She knew her idea was correct as he leaned over to kiss her. She was in love with Sesshoumaru.

* * *

*A little shorter than what I usually do (five pages in word), but this felt like a good place to stop.


	6. Secrets and Change

Secrets and Change

*Unfortunately, I do not own Inuyasha and Company. Rumiko Takahashi does. (Except Koneko, she's mine.)

* * *

The kiss ended all too quickly in Koneko's mind as they parted when the lights came on for intermission. Sesshoumaru was smiling and she couldn't help but do so too. Looking back, she couldn't help but wonder how she missed it. All those times she had caught herself thinking about him. When her stomach would flutter from a simple touch. How could she not know she had fallen for her best friend? When had _that_ happened?

"I- Um…" she stuttered, not knowing what to say.

Sesshoumaru smiled again and saved her from embarrassing herself. "Koneko you are a beautiful young woman whom I have found myself falling in love with. I hope you find this to be true for you as well. Also, I would like to say, I have no plan on "claiming" you like Naraku did. Starting anything with me is entirely your choice."

Koneko grinned brilliantly and reached over the armrest to hug him. "I would love to "start something" with you, Sesshoumaru." She pulled back and sighed. "Of course, that means I'll have to tell my secret admirer to stop."

He smirked, "About that…"

She gasped, "That was you?!" Koneko thought for a moment. "I see. That note, 'Someone who saw your beauty and kindness from afar. Or closer than you may think,' makes sense now."

Sesshoumaru avoided meeting her eyes, "I was unsure of how you would react if I told you how I felt."

"Well as much as I loved your notes," she said, "I wish you had told me sooner."

Koneko was about to say something else when the intermission ******(Yeah, I know that was really short for an intermission)** ended and the lights dimmed again. They continued watching the play. This time, however, Koneko curled up next to Sesshoumaru. When the play ended, she looked up at him.

"I was going to ask you this before, but would you like to meet my mom? It's up to you. You don't have to if you don't want to."

Sesshoumaru considered it for a moment before nodding. "I would love to."

A moment later, he found himself being pulled by Koneko through the crowd until they reached a door with a security guard in front of it. Apparently he knew her because all Koneko had to say was "He's with me," for the guard to nod and let them in. She led him backstage where a lot of people were walking around.

Koneko had to pause a moment and look around before she spotted Yuuko. Once she did, she and Sesshoumaru walked over to her. He stopped when they neared. Now that he was close, he could smell Yuuko and discovered something shocking. By the way she stiffened and turned around to spot them, he could tell she had discovered the same thing.

Quickly, Yuuko pulled the couple into a small room with no one else in it and locked the door. She glared at Sesshoumaru for a moment before looking at her daughter. "Koneko, you should have warned me your friend was a demon. I would have hidden my scent better."

Her eyes widened. "Wait, what? A demon? Sesshoumaru, what is she talking about?"

Yuuko looked at her, concerned, "You don't know?"

Sesshoumaru cleared his throat. "I believe explanations are in order for both of us."

She studied him for a moment before nodding. "I am a Neko demon. Koneko, your father was human, making you a half-demon." She shook her head in disbelief. "I find it hard to believe you don't know. How could you make your concealing spell so perfect without some effort?"

"Concealing spells? Demons? Half-demons?" Koneko grabbed her hair and pulled on it slightly. "I don't understand!"

Sesshoumaru stepped forward and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Calm down, Koneko." He then glanced at Yuuko. "Can you leave?"

She nodded but paused before walking out. "You don't care that she's a half-demon?" she asked.

He shook his head. "No, my brother is one." She looked relieved at that statement and left.

Koneko finally looked up at Sesshoumaru with a scared expression. "What do you mean; Inuyasha is a half-demon? And earlier she said you are a demon too?"

He paused for a moment to consider how to proceed. He decided to just go for it. "Koneko, I'm going to show you something."

"Show me? Show me what?"

He closed his eyes and concentrated for a moment. "I'm going to drop my concealing spell. Do not be frightened. It will still be me."

"What are you-" She gasped when he started to change right in front of her. The first thing that caught her eye was the appearance of two maroon stripes on each cheek and a blue crescent moon on his forehead. Then she noticed smaller things: his ears becoming pointed, and his fingernails sharpening and becoming claws.

Sesshoumaru watched her warily as she scanned his body for any more changes. He started to regret his decision when she leaned away from him slightly, causing his hand to fall of her shoulder. He sighed, "Koneko." This wasn't going as well as he had hoped.

He was startled when a hand touched his face. He looked at Koneko and instead of seeing fear, there was only curiosity. When she started tracing his markings, his eyes slipped close and he leaned into her touch.

She was fascinated. "Do all demons have these?" she asked quietly.

Sesshoumaru's eyes only opened half way as he enjoyed her touch. "It is not uncommon for demons to have some kind of marking. However, these are specific to my family. The moon is from my mother and the stripes are from my father."

"Do I have any?"

He focused on her and smirked, making Koneko realize his teeth were sharp too. "Only one way to find out. Drop your concealing spell."

She frowned and concentrated. How was she supposed to stop something she had been doing unconsciously? But in the back of her mind she found a pressure. It was almost like a muscle you don't realize is tensed until you force it to relax. So that's what she did.

Sesshoumaru watched in awe almost as she changed like he had. Her ears shifted to the top of her head and morphed into cat-like ones. Almost like Inuyasha's. She grew claws as well, but they weren't as long as his, and her blue eyes darkened into a deep purple. The final visible change took him a moment to spot until he noticed the tail. But her scent had changed as well. Now he could smell the demon in her blood.

She looked down at her body and twisted to try and spot her tail. "This is strange. It feels different, and yet natural." Then she gazed around the room as if seeing it for the first time. "And everything looks different too."

He nodded. "We tend to have stronger senses than humans as well as being stronger and faster."

She bit her lip and jumped when her teeth were sharper than she remembered. "Do they- we- have other skills?"

Sesshoumaru raised an eyebrow. "Is that not enough?" he asked teasingly.

She laughed a little and then sighed. "This was _not_ how I expected this day to go. And I don't just mean this. All of it." Then she paused. "Sesshoumaru?"

"Yes?"

"How do I change back?"

* * *

*Next week and for a few weeks after that I'll be posting a different story every Sunday. This is so I can stock up on chapters for this story. So keep an eye out for All Things Must End. I _will_continue this story eventually, don't worry. Please review!


	7. Car Conversations

Car Conversations

*Unfortunately, I do not own Inuyasha and Company. Rumiko Takahashi does. (Except Koneko, she's mine.)

*I was feeling generous, don't expect me posting twice a week often.

* * *

After a few minutes of struggling to replace the concealing spells, Koneko and Sesshoumaru walked out of the room looking normal. Now that she had released the spell once and had experienced her natural state, everything felt dim and uncomfortable. She hadn't felt like this before, this being one of those 'now you know what you're missing' moments.

Yuuko was waiting outside with a worried and partially wary expression. While they had been in there, the room had cleared as everyone went home. She was nervously tapping her fingers on her arm as she watched the couple walk out. "We need to talk," she started. "But not here, the janitors will be coming in soon. You drove here, right?" Sesshoumaru nodded. "Okay, just follow my car then. Or Koneko can tell the directions."

"Where are we going?" Koneko asked.

"Home," she said answered before turning and walking away.

Koneko stared in disbelief for a moment before her mouth started working again. "Is she nervous? She never gets nervous! Never before auditions or anything!"

"She is worried about your reaction."

"Me?"

"Yes." Sesshoumaru grabbed her hand and gently guided her towards the exit. "She fears that you may not be happy with the fact that this was kept a secret from you."

"But she didn't know…"

"It is not a justified fear," he agreed. Koneko and Sesshoumaru were standing by his car now. He held the door open for her. "And yet, it exists." She quickly climbed in so Sesshoumaru could shut the door and get in on his side. "I'd imagine," he continued, "that she is nervous about me as well."

"What!" she exclaimed. "Why?"

"I'm not sure if you were paying attention when she asked if I cared if you were a half-demon. You did have a lot to take in." When she nodded, he continued, "The legend that tonight's performance was based off of was passed down through demon families. Many take it as proof that humans and demons should not mate together. It is why many demons do not like my brother, because they think he should not exist and hate him for it."

"So Inuyasha is a half-demon? Like me?" she asked.

Sesshoumaru nodded without taking his eyes off the road. A few cars ahead of him was Yuuko and he made sure not to lose her. "Another reason could be my age."

"Your age?"

"Yes." This was the topic Sesshoumaru was worried about. "Demons and half-demons have a lengthened life expectancy. Death by old age is practically nonexistent. And of those, something else was in effect as well."

"Like what?"

He shrugged. "Curses, spells, that sort of thing. Anyways, your mom might be concerned by the fact I'm nearly," he paused a moment to take a deep breath, "seven hundred years older than you."

Silence reined for a few minutes. Sesshoumaru risked a glance at Koneko. She didn't look startled or horrified like he had feared. Instead she looked as if she was pondering something. "What are you thinking about?" he asked finally, as calmly as he could.

He must not have hid his alarm as well as he had hoped as she looked up concerned. "Not about that!" she quickly explained. "Or, well, about that but not…" She shook her head before placing a reassuring hand on his leg. "I don't care about how old you are. You're still my best friend and…" She paused, trying to come up with a good word. "I don't know, whatever the hell we are." Sesshoumaru smiled, agreeing that it seemed too early to define their relationship. "Although, it does raise the question." Koneko turned with a mischievous glint in her eyes. "Why is a seven hundred plus year old in high school?"

Sesshoumaru scowled. "I can easily claim to be as young as I have this time or older. When my family moved again, my mother set up my fake records so that I would be young enough for school. Personally I'm surprised that you have stayed in one area for so long. Your mom must be talented with changing her appearance."

"Yeah, she's good with makeup. That reminds me! Do you know how old my mom is?" she asked.

He shook his head. "At least two centuries, but other than that I couldn't tell."

"What about Inuyasha?"

"About five hundred years old."

She thought about that for a moment before asking, "Hey, who else at school is a demon?"

"Of your friends, Shippo, Kouga and Ayame are demons. And Naraku claims to be one," Sesshoumaru answered.

"Claims to be?"

He nodded. "Do you remember the day we met? How Naraku was bullying Inuyasha and I threatened him? Well, I didn't threaten him with nothing. He hides it very well, but he's a half-demon. His concealing spell is one of the best I've seen, besides yours." He glanced at Koneko again. "You know, you're taking this very well. Are you not concerned about not being human?"

She blinked. Koneko realized he was right. She was taking this _extremely_ well. Shouldn't she be more concerned about the fact that there are demons walking among humans and she was one of them? Or that she had cat ears and _a freaking tail_!? Yet… She couldn't get upset. She couldn't _make_ herself upset about all that. The only thing she felt was calm and curious. Instead of feeling like her world was being flipped upside down, everything felt right and as it should be.

_What. The. FUCK_?! Now she was worried. About her sanity.

Seeing Koneko space out, Sesshoumaru stayed silent for the rest of the trip. It wasn't long before he was pulling up to the curb to park near Koneko's house. "Koneko, I think we're here."

She finally looked up. "Oh! Hey we _are_ here." She turned and studied him for a moment. "Are you _nervous_?" she asked with a mischievous grin.

He scoffed, "Preposterous. I don't get nervous. Especially of a Neko demon."

"Even one that happens to be the mother of someone you like?"

Sesshoumaru glared at her for suggesting it, even if it was somewhat true. But instead of cowering in fear like most would, Koneko laughed. "You _are_ nervous!" He growled at her, but that just set her off again. When she calmed down, Koneko patted his leg. "Don't worry Sesshoumaru, I think it's sweet."

Sesshoumaru looked up to see Yuuko standing in the doorway, tapping her foot. "Shall we go then?" he asked.

Koneko nodded. "Yes, let's get this over with."

* * *

*If you haven't already, please go check out my other story. It's a little slow starting, but I like it a lot more than this one. All Things Must End.


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